Wearing Trees
I HAVE A BLACK
DRESS that swings through the skirt down to
the mid-calf. It has a slight split on one side
that shows a little leg while you’re walking and
a little more at a run. It is sleeveless. The
waist is slightly dropped and sits just above my
hips. It is cut on the bias. I can wear a jacket
over it when there is a nip in the air. It is
the perfect length for my long coats. I wear it
with brogues and boots, with sandals and heels.
I love to wear it on dates. It is effortless in
the best sense, by which I mean it is both
comfortable and flattering. I could name several
important events in my life that I have worn it
to. Job interviews. Dinners with new friends in
new cities, when I was anxious and unsure of
leaving the house. I could tell you about nights
I abandoned it on a beach in a town I didn’t
live in so I could run into the water, knowing I
could shake the sand out later. I have worn it
backstage at Burberry runway shows in London. I
have worn it on press trips to Tokyo, Dubai,
Marrakech, and Milan. It is made of viscose, so
before it was a dress, it was a
tree.
One warm summer evening in
2021, I was at an event hosted by the brand that
had designed it. I approached the company’s PR
director and explained the story of the dress
and how I’d love to know more about where the
fabric was sourced. She walked me to the brand’s
creative director, who and said there was no way
of knowing where that viscose was sourced from
but, given the time frame (the late 1990s), it
was unlikely they’d be proud of the answer.
Viscose in that period was usually sourced with
few limitations and little consideration of the
ecological consequences. Given the immense
beauty of forests, and the trees, plants,
animals, and birds they provide homes to, this
is a particularly sad truth and one of fashion’s
most well-disguised secrets.
This
adapted excerpt from regenerative fashion
researcher, writer, and consultant Lucianne
Tonti’s Sundressed: Natural Fibers
and the Future of Fashion, takes a
look at the true cost of producing an
increasingly popular textile often marketed as
eco-friendly. Read more in our Summer
2023 issue. |
